Welcome to our list of arts and cultural events happening in the NSW Central West gathered from artists, event producers, great local venues and groups across the region. Use the contact or ticketing details listed with each event.
It’s free to submit your local events
For maps and details of museums, galleries, artist studios, historic sites, Aboriginal experiences and sites, craft shops, handmade retail outlets or public art go to the Culture Maps Central NSW menu.
In 1923, Dubbo businessman, Lawrence Astley, donated a cup to promote sporting competition between local schools, Dubbo High School and Sacred Heart College. With disparate enrolment numbers, the schools were mismatched and just two years later competition was formalised between the three state schools west of the Blue Mountains – Bathurst, Orange, and Dubbo High Schools.
HERE/NOW is Orange Regional Gallery’s annual community exhibition that presents the work of artists from across the Central West of New South Wales.
The Kangaroo holds a special place in our cultural psyche - from national emblem, a symbol of pride and economy to pop culture icon and totem animal of First Nations Australians - this native creature is celebrated internationally as the truest expression of Australia.
However, a dichotomy has developed as the Kangaroo comes under increased threat, through loss of natural habitat, farming practices, encroaching urbanisation and climate crisis to illegal baiting, gun sport and an (unregulated) kangaroo meat industry that represents the largest single sustained massacre of land-based wildlife in the world.
Paul resides in the very picturesque village of Mt Victoria and is a regular Lithgow Library customer. Over the years Paul has had great success with his paintings and many are in private collections or with overseas collectors. Paul studied fine arts but he considers himself mainly self-taught.
As an addition to the very successful Selections: Highlights from Lithgow City Council’s Acquisitive Art Collection exhibition currently on display at the Seven Valley’s Visitor Centre, Eskbank House Museum has brought more art works out of storage for the community to enjoy.
Robyn Stacey: as still as life leads audiences into the tantalising world of the still-life tradition.
The exhibition opens with an exploration of still-life photographs drawn from MGA’s collection, placing the genre and Robyn Stacey’s work into context Stacey is one of Australia’s leading photographic artists whose fascination with the still life genre inspired the magnificent works in this exhibition.
Larissa Blake. The favourite elements of colour and gesture capture the studio view throughout the seasons. Deconstructed imagery and expressive application pare back the landscape, and the process emerges as the vital element in the work. The result is what happens when one engages with the now and finds bliss in the materials and a return to the sheer fun of painting.
Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro are a duo of Australian contemporary artists known for their large-scale immersive installations, sculptures, and mixed-media artworks that often incorporate found objects and repurposed materials. Working collaboratively since 2001, they have gained international recognition for their thought-provoking pieces that explore themes of consumerism, the human impact on the environment and the philosophies of flight.
A new digital, outdoor installation from the Australian Museum showcasing the incredible world of Australia's birdlife is coming to Orange Regional Museum. Presented on an interactive storytelling cube, The Birds of Australia STORYBOX brings to life the iconic bird illustrations of John and Elizabeth Gould together with First Nations storytelling and knowledges.
Rosnay Organic is hosting work by Cowra artist Linda Chant.
Linda is interested in painting, art history, found imagery and the opportunities these offer. Her aim is to create a new point of view for the audience to consider.
Crumbly buildings with tin roofs, chicken wire fences and hand-painted signs. The small town we grew up in; got stuck in; left; returned to; retired to; resign to.
Australian country towns have long been criticised for their unsympathetic design. Scarce funds are spread across large land, resulting in reoccurring potholes during wet summers, and businesses closing during drought, bushfire, and flood. The weather is always too hot; too dry; too wet; too.
But through rarely relenting adversity presses the spirit of the people. These are communities and homes and farms and livelihoods. Lived together. Supporting each other.
Through a reflective and laborious practice, fragile representations explore the harsh qualities of the Australian landscape. Fences, buildings and annual fallen leaves appear, suggesting a nostalgia, acceptance, and appreciation of this place.
This is an ode to the regional town; a body of work celebrating the unique landscape of power lines, uneven footpaths and corrugated everything.
This exhibition will showcase local Hill End artists Lino Alvarez and Bill Moseley.
Get ready to witness the best of Australian drawing as the 'Dobell Drawing Prize #23' kicks off its national tour at BRAG.
Touring at BRAG from September 2023, the exhibition will include a variety of curated public programs, exhibition tours, masterclasses, and educational resources.
FESTIVAL OF THE LAKES 2023 The John O'Reilly Memorial Photographic Exhibition + Competition. Along side our festivities around town a donation was made under the name of the Late John O’Reilly to hold a photography exhibition/competition. This will be held in the Memorial Hall Lake Cargelligo over the October Long Weekend.
This exhibition celebrates the Australian countryside landscape in all her glory.
Beautiful golden pink sunrises, moody blue dusks, rolling green hills... these pieces capture a moment in time and whisk you away!
Satirical, absurdist, serious and thought provoking, “What’s That Skip?” is an exhibition that draws on the popular television series ‘Skippy the Bush Kangaroo’ and collectively celebrates this globally recognized fauna.
Come along to the exhibition of September featured artist Anne Ind-Howarth.
In Here and There, David Serisier presents a selection of large-scale paintings exploring colour and painting as subject. Within these new works, colours are sourced from art, architecture and natural circumstance to be juxtaposed and re-formed through the painting process.
Barney Ellaga was the ‘Tjungayi’ or cultural policeman for the Alawa people of Central Arnhem Land. In a society with no written records, cultural information was handed down verbally to an appropriate recipient. With his sons predeceasing him and with no one achieving an appropriate level of initiation to receive this information, the line of succession, after many tens of thousands of years, stopped with him.
Opening Friday 22 September, 5.30pm for a 6pm start.
This exhibition is about reimagining Aboriginal art in a contemporary light, delving into the themes of energy, movement, and the profound connection to the land. These works dynamically blend traditional art with modern expression, bridging the gap between classic dot work and contemporary vision.
Exhibition of paintings, sculptures, drawings, printmaking and photography from artists age 5-19 years.
Over $1,000 in prizes.
The Corner Store Gallery profiles the best of established and emerging Australian creatives, with curator Madeline Young seeking out colourful and visually arresting aesthetics in either art or design.
As an artist herself, Madeline pursues opportunities outside of the established Regional Gallery or informal market stall channels to reach new artists, creators, and audiences.
Visit the beautiful Gang Gang Gallery, Lithgow for an amazing Rock Photo Exhibition by David Wallace.
A stunning collection of art created by local artists and artisans available to view and purchase.
Some very clever artists from the local area will be opening up their home studios to the public between 10am and 4pm.
The What’s On calendar covers arts and heritage events happening across the NSW Central West in the local government areas of Bathurst Region, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan, Lithgow, Mid-Western Region, Oberon, Orange, Parkes and Weddin.
Event listings are sourced or supplied from local venues and arts organisations. Many events listed here have been originally shared by the organisers on social media. Whilst all care is taken – and accuracy is our priority – we can take no responsibility for date changes or the content of contributed information. Contact the event organisers listed for more details or to book tickets.
The best way to include your event is to use our SUBMIT HERE form (under the What’s On menu at the top of each page). These listings will be manually approved by the Arts OutWest team before publication. Please allow a couple of days for listings to be published. If you have submitted an event and want to make changes just email us at artsoutwest@csu.edu.au
‘Featured events‘ are those submitted directly online by presenters.
Event promotors are asked to only include their own original images / images that they have permission to use / copyright free stock images. For more information see our fact sheet on Using Images For Promoting Events (if you can’t see this link look under ‘Opportunities’ then ‘Resources’).